Patients often require assistance in moving from a hospital bed to a wheelchair, or require assistance in moving from the hospital bed to a toilet. An attendant rendering assistance is subject to injury in assisting the patient without mechanical assistance. Patient transfer devices can still require excessive bending and lifting by an attendant, increasing the likelihood of injury to the attendant or patient. In the alternative, some patient transfer devices, such as an overhead lift, can make the patient feel like freight due to the lack of any personal contact by an attendant.
It would be advantageous to provide a patient transfer device that gives an attendant the mechanical advantage necessary to move a patient without injury, and that maintains the close personal contact between the patient and the medical attendant.